Metallic foundation sheets for building construction



Oct. 31, 1933. s. E. ROCKHOFF METALLIC FOUNDATION SHEETS FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 24. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l IIIIIIIIII III I.

w.. -I FWI- I I I I n H HH H I I I I INH L.. PI HHI I INVENTOR 567N617 Zoo/ i of) Patented a. 31 '1933 Eur OFFICE METALLIOFOUNDATION SHEETS FOR I BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Bert E. Rockhofi, Dct1-oit,l\1ich., minor to De- 1 troit Steel Products Company, Detroit, Mich,

a corporation of Michigan 7 Application February 24, 1931. Serial No. 517,932

13 Claims. (Cl. 189-85) k This invention relates to metallic foundation sheets of the type (having body portions adapted to be supported in juxtaposition to each other to form a substantially continuous wall or ceiling surface. Q I

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide means on the sheets operableupon assembling thev latter to automatically align the body portions of the sheets to insure a substan- M tial-ly uninterrupted continuous surface irrespective of slight variations in the attaching means for-the sheets.

Another object of this invention is to provide metallic foundation sheets of the type specified having flanges projecting from opposite side edges thereof provided with lateral projections intermediate the longitudinal edges thereof alternatively engageable with shoulders on each of the flanges for insuring alignment of the body 2% portions of the sheets.

A further advantageous feature of this invention is to provide a construction of the above character wherein the shoulders on the adjacent flanges, in addition to engaging the projections aforesaid for the purpose set forth, also cooperate with suitable fastening means for attaching the sheets to a support.

With the foregoing as well as other objects in view, the invention resides in the peculiar con- 3 struction of the sheets which will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure. 1 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 1-1 of Figure 2 showing a foundation sheet in assembledrelation with suitable supporting structure; y

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1; 46 Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the foundation sheets; 1

Figures 4 and 5 are sectional views taken respectively on the lines 4-4 and 5----5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is afragmentary cross-sectional view showing a. slightly modified form of construction;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the sheets shown in Figure 6;

Figures 8 and 9 are views'similar to Figures 6 and 7 showing still another modifiedform of construction;

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing a further modified form of construction.

In the several illustrative embodiments of the sheets from the purlins.

invention about to, be described, the metallic foundation sheets are shown as used in connection with ceiling constructions provided with purlins 18 to which suitable fastening means is secured having portions extending between flanges pro- 6 jecting upwardly from adjacent edges of the foundation sheets and cooperating with the latter flanges for suspending the body portions of the In Figures 1 to 5, inclusive, there is illustrateda plurality of metallic foundation sheets 12 extending longitudinally of the purlins and having bodyportions 13 provided with reinforcing flanges 14 projecting laterally from the longitudinal side edges thereof. Each of the flanges 14 are bent inwardly intermediate the longitudinal edges thereof to form longitudinally extending grooves l5 adapted to cooperate with each other in the assembled. position ofrthe sheets, as shown in Figure 1, to form a triangular chamber for re- 7 ceiving the similarly shaped head portions 16 of the fastening elements 1'7. The ends of the fastening elements 17 opposite the head portions are preferably suitably secured to the purlins 18 forming a part of the building'structure. Referring again to Figure 1 of the drawings, it will be noted that the upper walls 19 of the grooves 15 extend laterally inwardly from the flanges 14 atsubstantiallyright angles thereto or in other words, are arranged in a plane parallel to the plane of the body portions 13 of the sheets and form shoulders for'engaging the oppositely extending portions of the fastener element heads 16. The other walls 20 of the grooves 15 taper outwardly and downwardly from the inner ends of the walls 19 and merge into the body portions 13 of the sheets. The arrangementis such that when the sheets are positioned in assembled relation; the points of connection of the walls 20 with the body portions are arranged in close proximity to each other so that the body portions of the sheets form, in effect,a continuous surface: In order to insure accurate alignment of the body portions of the sheets when the latter are in assembled relation, I provide means upon the sheets for positioning the latter from each other. In detail, the walls 19 and 20 of the grooves 15 in each sheet are suitably cut at longitudinally spaced points and struck laterally outwardly as shown in Figure 3 to form shoulders 21 adapted to extend within the grooves 15 in adjacent flanges and engage the walls 19 of the grooves to locate the body portions 13 of the sheets in a substantially common planer As shown in Figuresii t0 5. inclusive, the struck-out portions are the bent portions aforesaid of the flanges and moreover, that the downwardly inclined walls 22 of the struck-out portions serve to support the shoulders 21. Thus, from the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided cooperating interengaging means upon the flanges 14 intermediate the longitudinal edges thereof for sup-' porting each sheet from the other in such a manner that/the body portions of the sheets lie in substantially a common plane.

The foundation sheets 25 illustrated in Figures 6 and"? differ from the sheets 12 described.

above in the construction of the side flanges 26. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the side flanges 26 are bent intermediate the longitudinal edges thereof to form. inwardly extending substantially channel shaped portions 27 providing longitudinally extending recesses 28 in each of the flanges. The arrangement is such that when the sheets are positionedin assembled relation, the recesses align with each other forming a chamber hav- 1118 a substantially rectangular cross section. The fastening means 29 for suspending the sheets 25 from the purlins extends between the flanges 26 and terminates at the lower end in oppositely extending projections 30 adapted to extend within the recesses 28 of adjacent flanges and engage the upper walls 31 of the recesses.

In order to insure alignment of the. body portions 32 ofthe' sheets'25 irrespective of slight inaccuracies in manufacture,-suitable tongues 33 are struck laterally outwardly from the flanges 26 at longitudinally spaced points, to provide shoulders 34 'for engaging the upper walls 31 of the recesses 28. As will be apparent from Figure 7, the tongues project outwardly from the flanges 26 intermediate the longitudinal edges thereof and are preferably arranged in a common plane parallel to the plane of the body portions 32 of the sheets so that when the latter are positioned in assembled relation, the tongues on each flange project into the grooves in the adjacent flange for engaging thefupper walls of the grooves to insure alignment of the body portions 32.

The modified form of invention illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 differs from either of the above described constructions in that the side flanges- 35' of the foundation sheets 36.are bent intermediate the longitudinal edges thereof to form inwardly extending substantially semicircular portions or grooves 37. The above construction is such that whena plurality of foundation sheets 36 are positioned in assembled relation as shown in Figure 8, the semi-circular recesses formed by y the portions 37 register with each other to form semi-circular portions 37 of the flanges project inwardly for receiving the heads 39 of the fastener elements 38, the semi-circular portions 40 project outwardly from' the flanges for engaging the substantially semi-circular grooves in the adjacent flanges. In other words, the projection 40 substantially the same in cross-section area as on one flange engages within the groove 37 in the adjacent flange of the next sheet and the projection 40 on the latter flange extends into the groove 37 in the first-mentioned flange.

Thus, from the foregoing it will be apparentthat in each illustrative embodiment of the invention means is provided upon the flanges of eachfoundation sheet intermediate the longitudinal edges for engaging the flanges on adjacent sheets to support the latter from each other and insure alignment of the body portions of the ported by the adjacent edge of the next sheet and the latter edge is supported by the fastening means.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with a pair of foundation sheets adapted to be supported in juxtaposition to form a substantially continuous surface and having shouldered portions, of fastener means engageable with the shouldered portions of both sheets for attaching the latter to a support, and means -upon one of the sheets for engaging the shouldered portion of the other to level the latter sheet from theformer.

2. The combination with a pair of foundation sheets adapted to be supported in juxtaposition and having flanges extending laterallyfrom adjacent edges provided with shoulders, of attaching means for the sheets engageable with said shoulders, and means carried by said flanges also engageable with said shoulders for leveling the sheets from each other.

3. The combination with a pair of foundation sheets adapted .to be supported in juxtaposition and having flanges extending laterally from adjacent edges provided with shoulders, of attaching means for the sheets engageable with said shoulders, and projections struck out from said flanges for engaging the shoulders aforesaid to level the sheets from each other.

4. The combination with a pair of foundation sheets adapted to be supported in juxtaposition and having flanges extending laterally from adjacent edges provided with shoulders, of a fastener element extending between the flanges and having oppositely extending portions engageable with the shoulders for attaching the sheets to a support, and a projection extending laterally outwardly from one of said flanges engageable with L tudinally extending grooves having portions of the walls thereof struck out'to form outwardly extending lateral projections respectively engaging in adjacent grooves to level the sheets from 5 each other.

7. The combination with a pair of foundation sheets adapted to be supported in juxtaposition and having flanges extending laterally from adjacent edges provided with longitudinally extending grooves, of fastening means having portions engaging within the grooves for attaching the sheets to a support, and projections upon the flanges also engaging within the grooves for leveling the sheets independent of the fastening means.

8. The combination with a pair of metallic foundation sheets having body portions arranged in juxtaposition, of flanges projecting laterally from adjacent edges of the sheets, shoulders upon each of the flanges extending transversely thereof, projections extending outwardly from each of said flanges, theprojection on one flange en,- gageable with the shoulders on the other and the projections-on the latter flange engageable with the shoulders on the first-mentioned flange.

9. The combination with a pair of metallic foundation sheets having body portions arranged in juxtaposition to each other, of flanges extending laterally from adjacent .edges of the body portions aforesaid and having portions bent inwardly forming oppositely arranged shoulders, and projections extending outwardly from the flanges alternatively engageable withsaid shoulders' for leveling the sheets from each other.

10. The combination with a pair of metallic foundation sheets having body portions arranged in juxtaposition to each other, of flanges extending laterally from adjacent edges of the body portions aforesaid and having portions bent in- 49 wardly forming oppositely arranged shoulders,

a fastener element extending between the flanges and having oppositely extending portions engageable with the shoulders for attaching the sheets one of said flanges engageable with a shoulder on the other flange and projections on the latter flange engageable with a shoulder on the first-mentioned. flange.

12. The combination with a pair of foundation sheets adapted to be supported in juxtaposition and having flanges extending laterally from. adjacent edges provided with shoulders, means carried by said flanges and engageable with said shoulders for leveling the sheets from each other, and means operable independent of the aforesaid means for attaching thesheets to a support including a fastener element having oppositely extending portions also engageable with said shoulders.

13. The combination with a pair of foundation sheets adapted to be supported in juxtaposition and having transversely extending flanges at the adjacent edges thereof provided with longitudinally extending shoulders, a projection extending laterally from one of said flanges for engaging the shoulder on the adjacent flange, a similar projection upon the latter flange engageable with the shoulder on said first named flange whereby said sheets are leveled from each other, and means for attaching the sheets to a support including a fastener extending between the said flanges andhaving oppositely extending flanges engageable with said shoulders at points spaced longitudinally from the projections.

' BERT E. ROCKHOFF. 

